Hurriyat chairman Mirwaiz under house arrest in Kashmir

Srinagar, Oct 27: Chairman of the moderate Hurriyat Conference (HC) Mirwaiz Umar Farooq was today put under house arrest to prevent him from joining the human chain as sought by the Coordination Committee (CC) spearheading the present agitation in the Kashmir valley.

A Hurriyat spokesman said a large number of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and state police personnel have been deployed outside the Nigeen house of Mirwaiz Umar since early this morning.

He said Mirwaiz was informed that he has been put under house arrest and he cannot leave his house till further orders.

Mirwaiz was scheduled to join the human chain alongwith the members of the Kashmir Bar Association (KBA) from court complex here to protest against the presence of Army troops in the valley.

On this day, the first Indian soldier landed in Srinagar following raids by 'Kabalies' from Pakistan in 1947.

The CC, an alliance of both the factions of the HC, Kashmir Bar Association, traders, fruit growers and other separatist organisations, has appealed to people to observe strike today and also form human chains to protest against presence of the Army in the valley.

The former chairman of the HC and president of the Itehad-ul-Muslimeen Moulana Abbas Ansari has strongly condemned the imposition of curfew in Srinagar and other major towns to prevent people from joining the human chain.

He also criticised the arrest of senior separatist leaders and putting Mirwaiz under house arrest.

UNI